The General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held over the weekend. One of the speakers told a story about a lost purse. The people who found it went through it looking for identification, but along the way, they learned some neat things about the owner. You can watch Elder Quentin L. Cook tell the story from 3:48 - 6:10 in the video below.
It got me thinking. What do the contents of my purse say about me? If someone found my misplaced purse in a totally innocuous context and had to go through it to determine who I was, what else would they learn along the way?
They'd see that Magdalena didn't finish eating her peanut butter and honey sandwich. Actually, I guess they would assume it was my unfinished sandwich. Fair enough. Honey is disgusting to me, after all, so I doubt I could get through much more of the sandwich than this.
They'd probably figure out at this point that I have one or more children. But since there's no cutesy diaper/wipe clutch, they might also figure out that my children are potty trained...
...but that I never assume anything, since also in my purse is a spare plastic bag with a pair of size 2T panties inside.
This might confuse them. It confuses me, to be honest. I am constantly finding random, tiny pieces of kid hud scattered throughout my purse. It drives me crazy. How, and when, and WHY, does it get there?? I corralled it all into one spot in this photo for your convenience. The chapstick, on the other hand, was legitimately mine until I sacrificed it as an offering to Magdalena to appease her during some recent errand.
Ah, the wallet. At this point they would find out my identity, and perhaps also that I am officially a housewife by profession.
But let's pretend they kept on looking.
An atypically brief grocery list written on the back of an envelope.
A map of Dubai Mall. If they were smart, they would snatch that up. Shockingly, the largest mall in the world is a bit of a labyrinth.
A notebook that looks professional and grown-up...until you open it and see that it has been wholly commandeered by Miriam.
A very smashed Nutri-Grain bar. Mmmmmm.
At least they'd see that I like to read...and check out DVDs from the library for my kids to watch.
And here comes the trash. Woah.
What do the contents of your purse say about you?
It got me thinking. What do the contents of my purse say about me? If someone found my misplaced purse in a totally innocuous context and had to go through it to determine who I was, what else would they learn along the way?
...but that I never assume anything, since also in my purse is a spare plastic bag with a pair of size 2T panties inside.
But let's pretend they kept on looking.
Random odds and ends from the side pocket. If the person going through my purse lived in the UAE, they'd know exactly why I kept that one dirham in my purse - for shopping cart deposits, of course!
What do the contents of your purse say about you?